474 CONDUCT OF THE NATIVES. 



all the women came out to see them. All, hoth 

 young and old, were dressed in a dark coloured 

 wrapper, which reached from the waist to the 

 knees, and on their ankles they wore a profusion of 

 bright brass ornaments. The boats were not very 

 successful in procuring stock, but the chiefs pro- 

 mised an abundant supply in the morning, which I 

 determined to wait for, and accordingly worked to 

 windward under easy sail during the night, but 

 found at daylight that we had been sent so far to 

 the southward by a current, that it was 10 a. m. 

 before we were again near enough to send the 

 boats in. 



On landing they found all their chiefs, and a 

 considerable number of the natives waiting on the 

 beach with vegetables, &c. for sale. But they had 

 hardly commenced their barter, when a powerful 

 looking man, armed with a large iron-headed spear, 

 in a state of intoxication, came rushing down from 

 the village ; he made directly for the crowd upon 

 the beach, apparently with the intention of attacking 

 our party ; but the natives immediately closed upon 

 him, and after some trouble disarmed him ; aiter 

 which he continued to rush about the crowd in a 

 violent state of excitement, running against any of 

 our party he could see, and making urgent signs to 

 them to leave the shore. 



At the same time the noise and confusion on the 

 beach was so great, that the officer in charge of the 

 party prepared to return on board at once, in order 



